Lessons From The Holocaust For Our Times, Part 4: A Tale Of Two Mustard Seeds, By Dianne Monroe
A continued exploration of my family history and how the past can guide us through turbulent and dangerous times.
“A Complete Disaster”: Noam Chomsky On Trump And The Future Of US Politics
What all of this portends, worldwide, is far from clear. Though there are also significant signs of hope, some commentators have — with good reason — been quoting Gramsci’s observation from his prison cell: “The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.”
Getting Past Trump, Part 2: The Russia Connection, By Richard Heinberg
I probably won’t change many minds about Trump/Russia in what I’ve written above. Some will probably conclude that I’ve sold my soul to the Clintonites (for the record, I did not support Clinton in the election), or that I’ve bought into anti-Russian propaganda emanating from the neoconservative foreign policy establishment. But that’s also part of the story: we are entering a post-truth era in which tribal alignment matters far more than mere facts, which are becoming ever harder to establish to everyone’s agreement. Jennifer Kavanagh calls this “truth decay,” and notes that it makes the job of informing and mobilizing the public much harder—not just with regard to Trump-Russia or politics in general, but also when it comes to climate change and the other collective survival threats
Russiagate Or Deep State? What Some Progressives Get Wrong On Russia, By John Feffer
When it comes to the Russiagate scandal, progressives usually take one of two positions. They either dismiss the scandal as a lot of hooey, a “nothingburger,” just a way for warmongers and the “Deep State” to revive a cold war between Washington and Moscow. Or they treat the scandal as just a means to an end, a way to cast doubt on the 2016 presidential election, implicate the administration in a variety of crimes, and ultimately impeach the president. Both of these positions are wrong.
Yale Professor Timothy Snyder On The Deeper Significance Of Collusion With Russia
Overall, Snyder’s message is that the United States is not unique—neither in the world today nor against the backdrop of history—in being pushed in more authoritarian directions. If anything, Trump is exploiting the same tactics Putin and state-run media in Russia use, but with the American addiction to 24/7 media and smartphones and other devices, we’re making it easier for an emerging authoritarian like Trump to consolidate his power.
The Politics Of Terror Mirrors The Politics Of Heroin, By Aidan O’Brien
Is the war on terror therefore like the war on drugs: does it actually promote what it allegedly is fighting against? The facts suggest that this is the case.
The Relentless Push Towards War: This Time With North Korea, Why? By Chris Martenson
The news about North Korea is at a fever pitch. Again, we have to ask, why now?
A World War Has Begun: Break The Silence, By John Pilger
How many people are aware that a world war has begun? At present, it is a war of propaganda, of lies and distraction, but this can change instantaneously with the first mistaken order, the first missile.
The Beautiful Dream Of Israel Has Become A Nightmare, By Gabor Mate
Everyone ought to be sad at what the beautiful old dream of Jewish redemption has come to. Everyone ought to grieve the death of innocents.